Flirting with Crime
by runwithskizors
Summary: Hiyori steals money from her pet store to pay off yakuza loan sharks. Yato and Yukine struggle with breaking their ties to her. Will Hiyori fall into darkness? Can Yato save her before she crosses the line? Warning: Manga Spoilers
1. Crime Does Pay

Her hands would not stop shaking all day. She thought for sure her boss would've noticed after the 3rd time she destroyed the pyramid of dog toys. Or when she counted money back to a customer. But he handed her the keys to lock up, just like always. Didn't he know that today was not just like always?

Hiyori clutched the keys to her chest, watching her boss drive away. She went about sweeping the floors, turning on the heat lamps for the reptiles, feeding the fish, until finally she was alone in the office with the register in front of her.

Cold sweat ran down her neck as she counted out the bills. Five hundred, she just needed five hundred. That would be all of the day's profit plus the balance...she had an idea. She would just take out double the balance money from the safe, make it look like everything evened out. Then she would work extra hard the next day and make it all back in outstanding sales! Her boss would never know.

He was such a nice guy, Hiyori hated to disappoint him...but she _needed_ this money. She clumsily wrapped the bills up in a rubber band and shoved it in her pocket. Once everything was squared away, she closed the office.

Walking through the empty pet store still teeming with life, she realized all these little eyes had seen her take the money. Her guilt filled her eyes with tears and she scuttled to the front of the store, head down. She turned off the lights and locked up. Standing outside in the winter air made her reality seem so sharp. What had she done?

* * *

"Yato would you _please_ stop picking your toenails at the _table_!" Yukine roared, slamming his book down. "You are single-handedly the most immature, _centuries_ _old_ man!"

"Uh! You take that back!" Yato feigned hurt innocence, "I am a God amongst men, you simply would not understand."

"What _you_ don't understand is _manners_! When was the last time you even cleaned the room! And you said you were going to take care of the sakura tree! You haven't even been to visit!" Yukine huffed, but his expression changed when he noticed the look on Yato's face.

"I don't know why you even bother still," Yato said under his breath, slouching on a pillow and looking away.

Yukine's anger flared up, but he remembered how hard Hiyori's leaving has been on him too. He wasn't the only one suffering. Still, Yukine had hope, he just knew she would be there at that sakura tree by the river to watch the blooms with them again, some year. She couldn't forget for forever… "What if she's there one day and we aren't?"

"That's the way it should be," Yato sighed. After a long moment of silence, the demi-god got up and disappeared outside into the cold, with nothing but his jersey and fluffy fluff scarf to keep him warm.

* * *

She didn't usually take the path that followed the river to her apartment since she was worried about strangers at night. It got pretty dark and sometimes people liked to sleep there when it was warm. Tonight, however, with the fresh snow falling, everything seemed lit up, a fresh cover of pure whiteness to hide all the muck. Hiyori would've been enjoying this if it didn't feel so symbolic of her crime, and...eerily familiar.

"Yu...ki…," she breathed the syllables heavily into the frosty air, watching her breath melt the snowflakes in huge clouds.

When Hiyori looked out to the river, down the bank, she saw a great sakura tree glimmering in the orange and white glow of city lights and snow. She stopped to appreciate the majestic tree. She always loved cherry trees, especially when they bloomed in spring.

"Spring!" she yelped as if something had bit her, something like a memory, too intangible to hold onto for more than a brief second. She stomped her foot, it was that feeling again, that elusiveness...like she was forgetting something but she could never remember what it was. It had become less frequent over the years. She actually started to cherish it when it happened so rarely.

Letting the moment pass, Hiyori looked at the path and saw a figure on it, not too far away, in the shadows….was it coming towards her? She started walking again, fingering her key in between her knuckles just in case… As they drew closer, Hiyori started to notice a smell...a really _good_ smell. Her body took over and she stopped dead in her tracks. That itch of a memory, what could it be?!

Just a few feet from each other, the figure had stopped too, he was now looking at Hiyori, who was looking at the ground. Her heart pounded in her chest, warmth spread into her cheeks, what was this feeling? This smell? Then he spoke.

"...Hiyori?"

Her head whipped up. Had he just said her _name_?!

She couldn't recognize him, his blue-ish black hair, track jersey and beat to hell scarf. He had an incredulous look on his face, however. As if he had seen a ghost.

"Do I….know you?" she asked, uncertain of the question as she asked it. At first, he seemed familiar, but now he just felt like a stranger. The kind she dreaded coming across on a dark, late night walk home.

The man shoved his hands in his pocket and turned his face to his feet. He started kicking rocks. "I don't think so… Anyways, have a safe night."

"Wait!" the word burst from her mouth, her hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve jacket to stop him from leaving. She was so confused, why did she do that? Why was her body acting without her permission? The stranger turned around and gave her a deep look like he was….hopeful?

A few moments passed in silence until, hesitantly, she released him. His eyes filled with some unnameable emotion...and then he left. She watched him go, hand in his pockets, shuffling off into the darkness. Strangely...she was finding it hard to remember what had just happened like it was a dream. She let it fade, and in minutes, she couldn't even recall seeing anyone that night. Fingering the money in her pocket, she walked back home, off into a darkness of her own.


	2. Or does it

He ran his fingers through the money, groping the bills like a girl in a school uniform, which Hiyori was instantly glad she was too old for now. "It's all there," she blurted out nervously, wringing her sweater between her hands.

The man gave a short bark of laughter and Hiyori could've sworn there was nobody seedier looking in the whole world right now. The way his eyes twinkled with greed and his canine teeth jutted out from his mouth like a rabid carnivore. He gave her the heebie-jeebies.

"Oh, I believe you, sweets," the nickname almost made Hiyori hurl, "I know you wouldn't disappoint daddy. He'd be so proud of you for-"

"Don't speak for my dad," she mumbled, her anger burning her cheeks a bright shade of red. She hung her head to cover her face.

"Oh c'mon doll, don't be like that-"

"And _don't_ call me doll," she spat, still hanging her head, unable to make eye contact. "You got your money, are we even now?"

She could hear the wicked little smile in his voice, "Even stevens, baby."

With a disgusted shudder, she wrapped her scarf around her face and walked away. Hopefully, that was the end of that. Now life could go back to normal and-

"Hey, I wasn't done talking to you," The guy called back to her. She rolled her eyes and turned to face him as he came running after her, "Mr. Takawada regrets that he couldn't come here in person to meet with you, seeing as he was a good friend of your father's and all, but he'd liked to extend a job offer to you. You'd make boatloads more money working for him than you ever would at that joke of a pet store."

Hiyori was glad her scarf was covering half her face so he couldn't see the horrible look she was giving him. It'd be bad to insult people who graciously helped you out in your time of need. "Please tell Mr. Takawada that my family is grateful for his help, but I must decline his offer. My father got me this job at the pet store and it would be disrespectful to leave. Thank you, but no thank you."

As she turned to leave, the guy grabbed her by the arm, "It might be _more_ disrespectful if you decline Mr. Takawada's offer. I mean, your dad is already gone, to disappoint the living would be-"

"I said _no,_ thank you," she jerked her arm free and briskly walked away.

"Offer's on the table," he called after her. His voice made her stomach churn.

* * *

It was a windy afternoon, cold and bitter. Hiyori sat on a bench overlooking the river, studying for a veterinary exam, a hot coffee in her hand, lost in her book. It was her intense focus that delayed her from realizing someone had sat down on the bench next to her. In fact, she still didn't notice until the stranger said something.

"Hiyori? Iki Hiyori?"

Her head jerked up from her book, a thread of some kind of memory clung to her brain, hadn't some other stranger randomly known her name…

"Fujisaki-senpai," She blurted out upon recognizing the man sitting next to her. Her old high school classmate, they had gone to capypa-land together, he was her first kiss. She blushed hard at that last part and frantically adjusted her scarf to try to cover her face.

He chortled lightly, his laugh sounded like dancing bells, almost intoxicating, "I haven't been called that in a long time."

She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, "Oh, yeah, I guess we aren't in high school anymore. How have you been?"

"Just fantastic," Fujisaki beamed at her. While he explained his entrance exam into law school and all the boring details of his life, Hiyori couldn't help but notice his nice looking suit, sleek briefcase and...small box. What was in the box, she wondered. He must've noticed her staring because he held it out to her, "Want to take a look?"

She met his eyes, utterly embarrassed for having stared, "Is it...okay?"

He nodded, smiling.

She took the slender black box into her hand. It had ornate carvings on the outside, trimmed in gold leaf. It looked like a box that held calligraphy brushes. Lifting the lid, she was surprised to find out that's exactly what it was. A rich, black ink stone nestled into silk lining next to a particularly average looking brush. She scrunched her nose in disappointment. For such a nice box and ink stone, the brush paled horribly in comparison.

"Its...very nice," She said, giving it back to him. She couldn't help but think Fujisaki had the strangest look in his eyes.

He chuckled, "It's not the most extravagant of brushes, but I think simple things carry their own... _charm_. Don't you?"

"Oh yes….of course," Hiyori agreed, a little confused. He seemed to be saying something else but she couldn't quite place her finger on what.

"Speaking of ordinary things," he said, opening his briefcase and gently tucking the box inside, "What would you say to having an ordinary cup of coffee with me and catching up?"

Hiyori gave him a gentle smile, "Thanks, but I've got a lot of studying to do for this exam right now and uh-" she lifted up her paper cup, "I've got the coffee thing covered. Perhaps another time, Fujisaki-san."

"Please, call me Kouto," He gave her a crooked smile that made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but look at his lips, those lips she had kissed before. Hiyori remembered him being kind of a creep….but Fujisaki-er, Kouto, seemed really nice. Maybe he had changed? She certainly had. She wasn't the rich, popular girl, top of her class, on her way through medical school like she thought she'd be. Instead, she was holding down a dingy, single bedroom apartment on the seedier side of town, struggling to make rent and….pay back loans. Her thoughts drifted to her crime for a brief second until she realized Fujisaki was pulling out his phone.

"Let's exchange numbers, that way, another time will actually come," He gave her his cell phone, a nice, new iphone. Reflexively, she punched her number in and handed it back. "Well Hiyori, it was nice to see you again. I look forward to our cup of coffee." Kouto smiled warmly, tucking his phone in his breast pocket and walked away.

Hiyori sat on the bench, staring down at the sakura tree bending under the weight of the fresh snowfall, surprised its branches never broke.

* * *

"Rend!"

"Phew that was a tough one," Yukine sighed, in sword form.

"Revert," Yato commanded, and Yukine did just that, materializing behind his master.

The demi-god started to walk away, hands in his pocket.

"W-wait!" His shinki called out, running to catch up with him, "Yato, what gives? You haven't said more than three words to me since you left last night," the boy rubbed his head, realizing how awkward the conversation was, "and I uh...wanted to say I was sorry. I mean, I know Hiyori leaving has been hard on everyone and I was being selfish, so I really didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Yukine," The God mumbled under his breath, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," the boy shouted, balling his fists, digging his fingernails into his palm to keep himself from crying. Yato could feel the torment tugging at the boy's heart, and it only made him more depressed. "I should've cut our ties, it would've been quick and clean, less painful than this. But...Yato please forgive me, I just couldn't do it!" It was too late now, the tears were rolling down his pink cheeks, his breath coming out in labored puffs. "I couldn't watch her forget who we are...not again! Yato….this is all my fault-"

Yato grabbed his shinki by the shoulder and pulled him into a hug. The boy was a wreck, sobbing and nearly collapsing in his master's arms. "It wasn't your fault, It's no one's fault. You heard Tenjin, it needed to happen. Hiyori is better off."

"I m-m-miss her, y-y-yato," Yukine sobbed.

"I know," he looked away, still holding the boy, "me too."

* * *

It had been a while since she'd visited a shrine. It seemed like such an immature thing to do, only kids and people with kids still went to shrines, who had the time or the money to pay someone that may or may not exist to help them out?

Still, Hiyori found herself paying the 5 yen and picking up the ema from the box. Pen in hand, she was having a little trouble figuring out exactly what to write to Tenjin, the god of knowledge. She knew she needed help with her vet exam, but reaching out to the supernatural seemed a little extreme.

She sighed and wrote just her name, tying it to the wall with the thousands of other wishes. How would he hear her among all the others in need? What made her wish worth hearing anyways? Especially since she didn't even write anything down. She clapped her hands twice and bowed her head to pray. _Tenjin-sama...I know this might not be your area of expertise but….I'm really confused and scared lately. Please help._

Standing up, Hiyori brushed off her skirt and made to leave, when she noticed a woman dressed in a traditional priestess garb, sweeping around the plum tree.

"E-excuse me," she tapped the woman on the shoulder and she jumped in surprise.

At first, her face was a mixture of worry and surprise, but it quickly melted into a warm smile. "Oh, hey there-uh….gracious patron," she bowed to Hiyori, who bowed in return, "I am surprised to see you here!"

"Why's that," Hiyori asked, honestly more surprised to see a traditional priestess doing actual work like the old days. Her haircut was much more modern, however, a short black bob with bangs. She felt like an old friend, like someone she could trust….or maybe it was just the uniform.

"Oh uh, well, uh, you know," She stumbled over her words, fidgeting with the broom in her hands, "It's just that...people your age don't normally visit shrines anymore. Must be a generation thing!" She explained, trying to laugh it off, "So, what did you ask Tenjin-Sama for?"

Hiyori heaved a deep sigh, "I guess… I didn't really wish for anything."

The shrine maiden placed a comforting hand on Hiyori's shoulder and looked her deep in the eye, "That's alright, Tenjin-sama knows exactly what it is you need."

Strangely, Hiyori felt really relaxed. She nodded vaguely at the girl and turned to leave, her head in the clouds, her feet not quite touching the ground. This good smell….she knows she used to smell it all the time.

"See you around, Hiyori-chan!" The girl called after her, but Hiyori didn't hear.

* * *

That night, it was especially stormy. The wind rattled the blinds to Hiyori's kitchen window and the world seemed darker than usual. She couldn't get her mind off of the money she'd stolen from the store. Tomorrow she'd have to go there and face the music, would he know or would everything be like normal and she could make back the money like she wanted? Thinking about all the possible outcomes made her sick. Dark thoughts swirled around in her head.

Fidgeting with the book in her hand, she finally decided now was not the time to study. _You're a criminal_ , her mind screamed, _you're no better than any of those degenerates rotting away in prison. What would your mom say? What would your father say? How are you going to make back that money, you can't just keep working at the pet store._

She grunted, frustrated with herself. Throwing her pencil down, she stood up and put on her coat, leaving her apartment for a late night walk. She'd been taking more and more of those these days.

The cold sunk into her clothes as the wind ripped through her body, practically pushing her down the street into the darkness. _You can't make that money back working there_ , the thoughts pushed through her mental block once again. They didn't even feel like her thoughts, but something dark pushing its way past any kind of positivity. _You have to take that job, or you'll go to jail_.

Hiyori flipped open her phone, slowly clicking through the contacts...Fujisaki Kouto...Mom...Mr. Takawada...she opened up a message to him, her fingers begrudgingly typing out the words that made a lump in her throat, 'Dear Mr. Takawada, I would be very grateful to consider your opportunity. Please give me a call or message at your convenience, Iki Hiyori.' The send button burned her thumb.

Dejectedly, she crouched down in the snow near a dark alley and buried her face into her arms. She cried until it felt like her tears froze to her face. The storm grew thicker around her.


	3. Sharks in the Water

"Iki Hiyori," Mr. Takawada cooed, opening his arms wide in a welcoming gesture as she stepped into his expansive office, corner office. The guy who took the money from her in the dark alley was there, giving her a sly grin that she wanted to slap from his face. "Welcome, welcome, please have a seat, can my receptionist get you anything, hot tea?"

She shook her head no, unable to speak.

"Come in, don't be so nervous, sit down," He motioned to the chair in front of his desk and Hiyori carefully sat down, clutching her bag in her sweaty hands.

Looking around the room, she could tell he was no joke. Hiyori knew her dad had important and influential friends, but she didn't know he had such ties to the yakuza, if that's what they were. The office was extravagant, gold emblazoned idols of the gods of fortune were scattered about the room, which had an excellent view of...her part of town, specifically her building. What a weird coincidence.

"I'm glad to see you here, you know your father was a dear friend of mine, I'm very sorry about his passing," Mr. Takawada folded his hands, looking forlornly at the girl, "however, I'm sure he'd be pleased to know you were here looking for gainful employment with me. He knows me to be the equitable and reasonable businessman I pride myself on being."

"Yes, thank you very much sir," Hiyori mumbled, still very uncertain about the whole thing. She recalled Mr. Takawada shaking her mother's hand at the funeral, dressed all in black. He had been such a huge help in paying for the financial costs of the ceremony since the hospital went under and lost all its money after the incident.

"I was surprised to see you pay back the loan so quickly," he continued, raising an eyebrow at her, "you're certainly very capable of handling yourself, a respectful quality in anyone, especially under pressure."

"Yes, Thank you very much sir," she repeated, the guilt settling in the pit of her stomach like a heavy stone.

He chuckled disarmingly, trying to relieve the tension of the situation, but it did not help Hiyori's nerves, something he noticed. "Well, like my associate here informed you, I was sad we couldn't meet up in person, business calls. However, I do have a job for you, that is if you're interested-"

"Yes sir, thank you for this opportunity!" Hiyori blurted, then gave a quick bow of her head to hide her blush at her sudden outburst.

"Yes...well," Takawada looked to his goon, who opened the office door and left, "It'll be a great pleasure to have someone as adaptable and reliable as you on our team, miss Iki." Just then, the goon walked back in, carrying several pieces of paper. He handed them to Hiyori.

Looking over them briefly, she realized it was a contract, mostly about keeping business discreet. She wondered why a guy like him had to have this kind of contract if he _wasn't_ yakuza….which only confirmed her suspicions even more.

"I want you to take this home, give it some time and look it over," Mr. Takawada smiled, folding his hands together in front of his face, "sign it and have it back here in a week, that is if you accept my modest proposal."

"Yessir," Hiyori bowed, "thank you, sir!"

"No, Miss Iki, thank _you_ ," he bowed his head slightly to her, then looked at his lackey. The guy rushed towards the door and opened it for Hiyori, who scuttled out quicker than Mr. Takawada or his goon could utter a goodbye.

When she finally stepped out of the front door, she took a deep breath of the frosty air. Even though she felt so sick on the inside, something smelled so good.

* * *

"It's been forever since you cleaned out this room," Daikoku grumbled, cigarette pressed between his lips like always. He was like a painting that never changed, even as the years wore on. The curse of being eternally dead.

Yato lay lounging on his bed, sketchbook out, working on the new edition of the Bishamon-ten Romance he marketed primarily to Kazuma. Only 5 yen for a copy. The demi god didn't pay any mind to the two shinki bustling around his room, packing and cleaning and sorting everything in sight. Yato couldn't care less about mess, Yukine, however-

"It's time to quit living in the past, get some air into this stuffy room," the blonde boy chirped, tieing up a bag of garbage, mostly candy bar wrappers, and receipts for colored pencils. Yato could feel the boy's forced cheerfulness and the toll it was taking on his emotional wellbeing. He was trying to be strong for his master, to be happy, like all shinki are scared into being. Yukine, however, was just trying to help. Still, Yato couldn't help but share the boy's heartache.

"Tea time!" Kofuku sang as she entered the room, coughing from the dust Daikoku was beating out the mats. She set the tray down next to an open box when something caught her eye, a miniature shrine with the name "Yato" engraved on it. "Oh look! It's Yatty's old shrine!" picking it up and brushing the dust off of it.

The room grew dead quiet. Daikoku held the stick in his hand, mid-beat, Yukine stopped sorting through receipts, and Yato kept on scribbling away. Yukine carefully set down the wad of paper, stood up, and listlessly walked out of the room, arms swaying uselessly by his side. Kofuku exchanged worried glances with her shinki, who in turn looked at the worthless god that continued to color, regardless of the situation.

With a sharp kick to the ribs, Daikoku growled at his house guest, "Aren't you gunna go say something?" he urged, while Yato fussed on the floor.

Yato sighed and looked at the pair that were eagerly awaiting his reaction, "He's a boy who lost a girl, there is no cure for heartbreak other than time. Trust me."

He left the pair standing in awkward silence, holding an old relic of a lost past.

Outside in the bitter cold, the god found his shinki sitting in the snow-covered garden. In nothing but his jersey and scarf, Yato sat down next to him. They didn't look at each other. The silence wore on until the god decided he'd found something profound to say, "In winter, plants die. In spring, they grow back. It's not the same plant as it was before, but new seeds that sprout from the love and care given to the old plant. You never even notice it's a new plant because you love it all the same. Over time, you'll find that's how we must behave with people on the near-shore."

"Hiyori isn't dead," Yukine grumbled. He had a point there. "When did you become Mr. guru anyways?"

"Can it kid," Yato warned playfully, "A god's judgment is always divine."

"If you love something, let it go," Yukine sighed.

"Huh? Whaddya mean," Yato asked, not sure he'd ever heard that before. Love wasn't exactly in his nature.

"If you love something, let it go," He repeated, "If it loves you, it will come back, or something like that."

The two sat in silence, watching their breath, staring at dead plants.

* * *

"What a nice smell," Hiyori sighed, looking into the window of a coffee shop, drooling over the warm pastries behind the glass. She pulled out her change purse and counted out her money, but it wasn't enough. Putting her purse away, Hiyori stared wistfully through the window as she walked by.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, butt connecting with the concrete hard, as a stranger flew down in the opposite direction. Her contract scattered all over the icy ground, the person's briefcase flew open and dumped its contents in the same fashion. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy, I wasn't watching where I was going!" Hiyori apologize, rubbing her butt and attempting to stand up.

"Oh no, It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention eith-Hiyori?" She looked over at the person and recognized Fujisaki, on his knees, straightening his jacket and trying to sweep all of his belongings back into his briefcase. "What a coincidence," he grinned, "I've heard of 'sweeping a girl off her feet', but never knocking her down!"

They both laughed and Fujisaki offered his hand as he stood up. She took it, straightening out her skirt and hair, feeling like a hot mess in front of a… pretty hot guy. Stooping down to collect their things, she started up a casual conversation. "How've you been? I meant to call, It's just that I-"

"Oh Hiyori, please, you don't have to explain to me," They both stood up, trying to sort out who's was who's, "I know we're both very busy people...Eugh I can't make heads or tails of some of this legal junk. Hey, I'm not busy now, do you want to go in and get some coffee, figure out this mess?"

"That sounds wonderful," She said, almost too excited. A blush spread across her cheeks.

"Alright let's go warm up," He held the front door open for her.

Once inside and ordering coffee, Hiyori was suddenly very embarrassed at how poor she was. When Fujisaki asked her what she wanted, she declined. However, he insisted, "It's my treat, for assaulting you in the street." He smiled warmly at her. The girl behind the counter threw him an incredulous stare, "Oh no," He held his hands up in surrender, "We just bumped into each other! I was just making a joke...eh heh…"

Hiyori giggled behind her hand as he rubbed the back of his head. Now they were both embarrassed, the mutual ground felt comfortable and she began to loosen up.

Sitting at a table near the window, the pair sifted through the pile of mixed up papers with steaming cups of coffee, and a muffin for Hiyori. The papers all looked pretty similar and she had a hard time distinguishing between hers and his. Fujisaki picked up the front page of her contract and gave it a long meaningful stare. After seeing what he was looing at, Hiyori snatched it from his hands. She felt really rude, but this was a private contract, a secret yakuza contract for all she knew. Fujisaki cleared his throat and asked, "You're going to work for Mr. Takawada?"

Her gaze snapped to his inquisitive face. How did he know Mr. Takawada?

"Another funny coincidence, I'm one of Mr. Takawada's lawyers," he smiled disarmingly, "well, lawyer in training. What are you going to be doing there?"

"Oh, I'm not exactly sure yet," she mumbled, fiddling with the piece of paper that read 'Employment Contract', "do you like it there? Is he...nice?" She didn't want to outright ask him if his employer was a criminal or even a good person. Had to play is casual.

Fujisaki chuckled gently, everything he did seemed like it was meant to comfort her. It worked. "He's an interesting fellow, I mostly do up apartment contracts and sit in on negotiating land deals. He's really interested in revitalizing parts of town and making the city a better place."

That took a load off her shoulders. So he was basically a landlord, a pretty successful one, that occasionally gave out loans to family and friends. Fujisaki found the remainder of her contract and piled it all together. "If you want," he said, "I can give this a look-over, make sure there's no weird language or shady loopholes."

"Oh, could you Fujisaki?! That would be so wonderful," She cooed.

"Kouto," He gently reminded her, grinning at making her so happy, "no need to be formal."

"...Right," she cradled her coffee cup to warm her hands, "Kouto."

After a few minutes, Hiyori had finished her muffin and Fujisaki had finished going through the document. With a tender smile, he handed it back to her, "Nothing out of the usual here, just a confidentiality clause, normal in pretty much every contract. Looks like you'll be doing reception stuff, with a possibility of working in outside sale."

"Outside sales...of what?"

Fujisaki shrugged, "Mr. Takawada trades in all kinds of stuff, capital, stocks, land, he's...versatile."

That did _not_ promote much confidence. Still, if Fujisaki said it was safe...and he's trained to read legal jargon. She had a vague feeling of distrust towards her old classmate, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It might've just been the kiss that stirred up old feelings. Perhaps she was just being a tab bit irrational, after all, he'd been nothing but a gentleman, and she couldn't ever remember him not being one. Hiyori started to build confidence in Fujisaki and was now looking forward to starting her new job. "Will we see each other often?"

He reached out and took her hand, gazing at her softly as a red hot blush worked its way up her neck, "We can, if that's what you would like."

Hiyori nodded feebly, unable to even speak. His touch felt warm and good, he smelled vaguely like something she recognized.

Leaving the cafe, the two hugged briefly before going their separate ways, "I'll see you soon, Hiyori."

"Yeah, see you soon Fujisaki!"

"It's Kouto!"

She waved, watching him walk away. Mr. Takawada had to be a good guy if he had the law on his side.

* * *

"Your games always take so long to play, father," Nora complained, laying on the bed on her stomach, a manga in her hands.

"That's because they are exceptionally fun," The man in question explained, opening his briefcase and pulling out a thick stack of legal documents, "If the game is too short, where's the anticipation?"

"I know, father," the wandering shinki sighed, closing the book and tossing it aside, "I can't understand why Yato likes those picture books."

"He's still just a child," Fujisaki sat down, settling a pair of reading glasses on his nose and flipping through the papers. They were mostly contracts that had to be drafted and altered according to the other party's terms and agreements. Soon, Mr. Takawada would own the entire part of town just over the river, the part that Hiyori lived in. "He can't see the big picture yet."

"Maybe he needs reading glasses," The girl giggled.


End file.
